Social Studies Curriculum

History/Social Sciences Electives

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Adopted January 1999

Twentieth Century American Eras

Course Description:

Twentieth Century American Eras is an in-depth study of specific time periods and themes in U.S. History over this past century. A major goal of this course is to understand how life today is related to previous life experiences. What was so roaring about the 1920's? Why do your grandparents save everything? Have you ever wondered about the fads in the United States like dance, clothing, music, and language?

Sample topics in Twentieth Century American Eras include:

• The Cold War
• The Sixties
• The Roaring Twenties
• The Depression
• The Civil Rights Era

The course title and description have been approved by the Anchorage School Board. This course outline is meant to serve as an example of one possibility for organizing this class. It does not represent the only way the course may be organized. Each course outline has been written by a different teacher so there will be differences in the approach used from one course to another.

Course Goals:

This is a comprehensive list from the Twentieth Century. The specific objectives used would be determined by the era chosen for study.

Through this course students will:

• Identify the significant elements of the evolution of civil rights in 20th century America
• Be able to summarize and assess key changes in American culture throughout the 20th century.
• Examine military, social, economic, and political events of the 20th century.
• Examine the role of America in the global community in the 20th century

Course Objectives:

The following is a comprehensive list of objectives from the entire Twentieth Century. Specific objectives may be selected based on the particular era chosen for study.

The student will:

• Define the term manifest destiny and apply it to US foreign policy of the late 1800’s
• Explain how the US acquired Alaska, Hawaii, and the Philippines
• Explain journalism’s role in the Spanish American war
• Describe the growth of cities in the US and the problems that came with them
• Define progressivism and identify the types of people who became progressives
• Identify examples of how T. Roosevelt expanded the power of the presidency
• Compare and contrast Roosevelt and Taft as presidents
• Identify examples of how Wilson expanded the power of the presidency
• Compare and contrast Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois
• Summarize the growth of US political and economic involvement in the Caribbean, Latin America, East Asia, the Pacific, and Europe
• Summarize the events that caused the Great War
• Describe the US struggle to remain neutral and explain the decision to abandon neutrality and enter W.W.I
• Discuss the negative effect the war had on civil liberties
• Summarize Wilson’s 14 points and explain why the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles.
• Describe the events in Russian and explain their effect on other nations
• Identify factors that led to the red scare
• Explain causes and effects of the Great Migration
• Explain how the policies of Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover supported big business
• Explain the reasons for US economic and military involvement in Latin America (1920’s)
• Explain the reasons for prosperity in the 1920’s
• Explain how corporate policies of the 20’s reduced the appeal of unions
• Describe the effects of the auto on the economy and culture of the 20’s
• Identify leisure activities and describe musical and literary contributions of the 1920’s
• Identify reasons for and effects of the widespread disregard for Prohibition
• Describe the resurgence of the KKK in the 1920’s
• Describe the stock market crash of October 1929 and explain why it happened
• Discuss Hoover’s response to the Depression
• Tell how the Depression affected farm families and people living in the cities
• Describe movements in the arts, including literature, theater and photography that highlighted social problems and presented solutions
• Explain FDR’s alphabet soup legislation
• Explain how government began to take the role of ensuring people’s welfare
• Explain the rise of totalitarianism in Europe and militarism in Japan
• Describe Hitler’s conquest of Europe and how America entered W.W.II
• Explain the role of minorities and women in the war
• Discuss the military strategies of the Allies in Europe and the Pacific
• Describe the home front war effort
• Discuss the civil liberties violations of the Japanese Americans
• Explain how the US and the USSR viewed each other at the war's end
• Discuss the major foreign policy actions of the Truman administration following the war
• Describe the events in the Korean War
• Discuss the major foreign policy actions of the Eisenhower administration
• Explain the effects of Sputnik on the American psyche
• Describe US involvement in the Cuban Missile crisis
• Explain the impact of the baby boom on society in America
• Describe the values of Americans in the 1950’s
• Show an understanding of the hardships experienced by the poor and various minority groups in the 50’s
• Describe McCarthyism
• Explain the growing role of television in politics
• Describe the events that led to the Supreme Court decision in Brown V Board of Education
• Describe the strategies used by the SCLC and SNCC in the civil rights movement
• Identify the key leaders and players in the civil rights movement
• Describe the successes of the civil rights movement during the Johnson administration
• Explain some of the major reform programs of the 60’s
• Describe economic, political, and social issues involving women
• Describe contributions of Hispanics and Native Americans
• Describe the values of the counterculture movement of the 60’s
• Understand the roots of the conflict in Vietnam
• Understand the reasons for US involvement in Vietnam
• Explain how events in 1968 brought on the downfall of Johnson and the rise of Nixon
• Understand the growth of the antiwar movement and its implications on US involvement
• Describe Nixon’s policy of détente
• Understand the abuses of power that led to Nixon’s downfall in Watergate
• Describe the changes in US - Latin American relations since W.W.II
• Evaluate the relationship between the US and Canada, and the US and Mexico
• Explain the economic policies of the Ford administration
• Explain the economic policies of the Carter administration and his foreign policy failures
• Explain the rise of Reagan
• Understand how Reaganomics affected the economy
• Describe how Reagan went from arms buildup to stabilizing Soviet-American relations
• Explain the Reagan administration’s involvement in Latin America
• Understand the goals of perestroika and glasnost and their effects on the USSR and the U.S.
• Summarize events in eastern Europe in 1989 and their effects on the US
• Describe key changes to the American family during the 70’s-90’s
• Summarize the US involvement in the Persian Gulf War
• Analyze the election of 1992 and its outcome
• Describe the position of the US in today's global economy
• Identify key national and international problems / potential solutions

Course Outline

1. Becoming a World Power
   1. Imperialism and manifest destiny
   2. Spanish-American War
   3. Panama Canal
   4. Open Door Policy
2. The Progressive Era
   1. Roosevelt administration
   2. Taft administration
   3. Wilson administration
3. The Great War
   1. Events in Europe
   2. America’s decision for war
   3. The home front
   4. America’s response to the treaty
4. The 1920’s
   1. Postwar transition
   2. Republican ascendancy
   3. Era of prosperity
   4. Rise of the KKK
   5. The jazz age
   6. Stock market crash
5. The Great Depression
   1. Coping with the Depression
   2. Election of 1932
   3. The first New Deal - alphabet soup
   4. Second New Deal
6. World War II
   1. Isolationism
   2. Good neighbor policy
   3. Threat of totalitarianism
   4. The road to war
   5. American mobilization
   6. Women and minorities
   7. War against the AXIS
   8. War against Japan
7. Truman and the Cold War
   1. Truman’s domestic policies
   2. Truman’s foreign policies - the end of allied unity
   3. Korean War
   4. McCarthyism
8. Eisenhower - The Politics of Moderation
   1. Domestic issues
   2. Foreign issues - massive retaliation, brinkmanship, CIA, U-2
   3. Little Rock High School / Civil Rights movement
9. America in the 1960’s
   1. The Kennedy years - The New Frontier
   2. Domestic issues - civil rights movement, the space race
   3. Foreign issues - Cuban missile crisis, Peace Corps, Vietnam, Berlin Wall
   4. Johnson’s presidency
   5. Domestic issues - civil rights, student protests, Great Society, War on Poverty
   6. Foreign issues - Vietnam
   7. 1968 - election, assassinations, riots, violent protest
10. Nixon’s Years
    1. Domestic issues - inflation
    2. Foreign issues - Cambodia, end of war, détente, SALT 1, China
    3. Watergate - the abuse of power
11. Ford’s succession
    1. Domestic issues - the pardon, WIN, bicentennial
    2. Foreign issues - South Vietnam collapses, killing fields in Cambodia, Détente
12. The Carter Years
    1. Domestic issues - stagflation, energy crisis, ERA debate,
    2. Foreign issues - Iran and the hostages, human rights, Panama Canal, Camp David Summit
13. The Reagan Years
    1. Domestic issues - Reaganomics, moral majority
    2. Foreign issues - arms build up, Iran-contra, INF treaty, Glasnost
14. The Bush Years
    1. Domestic issues - recession and unemployment
    2. Foreign issues - Persian Gulf War
    3. 1992 election - Ross Perot, George Bush and Bill Clinton
15. The Clinton Years
    1. Domestic issues - economy shaky in the beginning, Republicans gain in Congress, scandals, the Special Prosecutor and a lack of integrity
    2. Foreign issues - Haiti, Bosnia, Iraq
       

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